It is always desirable to increase the dynamic range of an analog-to-digital converter. Since the signals upon which digital signal processors often work originate from analog signals, it is important to preserve as much as possible of the original information contained in the analog signal. When the sensor or analog signal source produces a relatively low signal level, it may be difficult to convert the original analog signal into digital form without degrading the signal-to-noise ratio. This is especially true in those cases in which the dynamic range of the signal is large, because low-noise amplifiers inherently tend to have limited dynamic range.
Improved analog-to-digital converters are desired.